A Systemic Approach To Integrating Technical Writing In The Curriculum

This paper presents an approach to writing education recently implemented in the Engineering Technology Department at the University of Dayton. The approach began with an overall curricular review. One of the department’s concerns was employers’ reports that many graduates lacked sufficient technical writing expertise. The department generally agreed that requiring a separate technical writing course and then technical reports in a few courses simply did not meet the expectations of employers. This led to a new approach to integrate writing exercises and evaluation throughout the curriculum. One basic premise from the outset was that writing cannot be limited to a few courses, but requires a thoughtful integration over a student’s entire education in Engineering Technology. Blending writing formats with each course was achieved by a constructing a matrix with courses on one axis and forms of writing on the other. The matrix ensures that students will develop the writing abilities desired by the base of employers during their tenure in the department.